Tulip Poplar

The tulip poplar tree is a flowering tree, you’ll leave for work one day in the spring and you’ll notice 3-4 flowers on your tree…then come home that same day and the whole tree will have blossomed. The tulip looking flowers give you a delightful fragrance of nectar that you’ll enjoy all spring long. This nectar even attracts birds – including ruby-throated hummingbirds, cardinals, finches and other small wildlife. There are 3 states that have the tulip poplar as their State Tree: Indiana, Kentucky and Tennesse.

It is a fairly fast growing tree and during the summer it will provide a lot of much needed shade. In the fall… get your sunglasses. While other trees are turning brown, your tulip poplar leaves turn from green to bright yellow. It’s just a nice tree for all seasons.

The biggest, thickest and oldest poplar tree in China is found in Juyan Oasis (or Ejina Oasis). The legend says it is the only undamaged after burned by Ejina Torgout people more than 300 years ago. Therefore, the Torgout people believed the tree was blessed by God, so they regarded it as the holy tree. It measures 27.5 meters tall and the diameter of the trunk is 6.5 meters. Survived from several centuries, it remains still green and straight.

As far as diseases, the tulip poplar is susceptible to:

Armillaria root rot infects and kills cambial tissue, causing major roots and the trunk near the ground to die. The first aboveground symptoms are undersized, discolored, and prematurely dropping leaves. Branches begin dying, often first around the top of tree. Eventually the entire tree can die. Clusters of mushrooms may form at the base of trees. Black or dark reddish brown rootlike structures (rhizomorphs) can be found at the base of the tree. There are no treatments available for root rot. The best thing is to maintain the tree in good health to hopefully prevent it.

Verticillium wilt – this is a fungal disease that affects the tree’s vascular system. It causes the foliage to turn faded green, yellow, or brown, and sometimes wilt in scattered portions of the canopy or on scattered branches. Shoots and branches wilt and die, often beginning on one side of the tree, and occasionally the entire tree dies. Peeling back the bark on newly infected branches may reveal dark stains following the grain on infected wood. Keep the tree vigorous by providing tree with proper irrigation and fertilizer, and other appropriate care to promote new growth and increase their chance for survival. Chronic branch dieback may develop in surviving trees; prune out any dead wood. Regularly inspect for possible hazards; affected trees may need to be removed.